Initially Peking Man, who lived
around 500000B.C.E was believed to be the earliest user of fire, but evidence
uncovered in Kenya in 1981 and in South Africa in 1988, suggests that the
earliest controlled use of fire by hominids dates from about 1420000 years
ago. Fires were kept alive permanently
because of the difficulty of reigniting them, being allowed to burn by day and
damped down at night. Flint struck
against pyrites or friction methods were the most widespread methods of
producing fire among primitive people.
The first human beings to control
fire used it to keep warm, cook their food and ward off predators. It also enabled them to survive in regions
previously too cold for human habitation.
They also used it in “fire drives” to force animals or enemies out of
hiding. Controlled fire was important in
clearing forest for roadways, grasslands for grazing and agricultural
lands-uncontrolled, the fire destroyed the potential of the soil. Mastering fire also opened up the
possibilities of smelting metals, enabling humankind to escape the limitations
of the Stone Age.
